imgoats India National Advisory Committee Report of the second meeting

Transcription

1 INTERNATIONAL LIVESTOCK RESEARCH INSTITUTE (ILRI) imgoats India National Advisory Committee Report of the second meeting Udaipur, India 10 th - 11 th February 2012 Small ruminant value chains to reduce poverty and increase food security in India and Mozambique

2 1. Background The goal of the Small ruminant value chains as platforms for reducing poverty and increasing food security in dryland areas of India and Mozambique (imgoats) project is to increase incomes and food security in a sustainable manner by enhancing pro-poor small ruminant value chains in India and Mozambique. The project proposes to transform goat production and marketing from the current ad hoc, risky, informal activity to a sound and profitable enterprise and model that taps into a growing market, largely controlled by and benefiting women and other disadvantaged and vulnerable groups; while preserving the natural resource base. The specific objectives of the project are two: (a) to pilot sustainable and replicable organizational and technical models to strengthen goat value chains in India and Mozambique that increase incomes, reduce vulnerability and enhance welfare amongst marginalized groups, including women; and (b) to document, communicate and promote appropriate evidence-based model(s) for sustainable, pro-poor goat value chains. In addition to goat keepers, beneficiaries will include other goat value chain actors, including small-scale traders, input and service providers. The project is following innovation systems approaches within a value chain framework. The value chain models will be implemented through the mechanisms of innovation platforms and producer hubs, which will be comprised of multiple and diverse stakeholders.using an appropriate and focused Monitoring and Evaluation framework, the project will document the participatory approaches used, processes followed, outcomes generated and lessons learned to generate research evidence towards the development of goat value chain models that benefit the poor. Lessons learned and opportunities for scaling up and out will be communicated to policymakers and development practitioners. The project is being implemented by BAIF in Rajasthan and Jharkhand states of India, while the overall leadership and co-ordination of the project is done by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). 2. Context An advisory committee was established at the national level in each of the project countries comprising of potential champions of the project representing key organizations/agencies who have a stake in livestock development for poverty alleviation. The committee is expected to provide strategic guidance to the project at critical times; identify key linkages with other organizations/projects involved in similar efforts to share experiences and lessons and; help disseminate/communicate lessons from the project and facilitate scaling up and out. 1

3 The first meeting of the imgoats India National Advisory Committee (NAC) took place on 17 th August, 2011 at New Delhi with Dr. A. S. Nanda, Commissioner, Animal Husbandry Department, Government of India, as the Chairperson. It was agreed that the committee will meet every six months. It was suggested during the first meeting that the next meeting should be held in one of the project areas to allow interaction with stakeholders. It was decided to hold the second meeting during th February 2012 in Udaipur. This report provides an account of the second meeting of the imgoats India National Advisory Committee (NAC) held at Udaipur during 10 th -11 th February Meeting process The second national advisory committee meeting of the imgoats project in India was held during 10 th -11 th February The meeting was attended by representatives of the Animal Husbandry Departments of Governments of India, Rajasthan and Jharkhand; Central Institute for Research on Goats (CIRG); South Asia Pro Poor Livestock Policy Program (SAPPLPP); Tata International; International Goat Association; BAIF and ILRI. The list of participants and their contact details are provided in Annex 1. The agenda for the meeting is provided in Annex 2. The schedule for the Second National Advisory Committee meeting included a visit to the project area in Jhadol block on the 10 th of February. This was followed by the meeting at Udaipur in the office precincts of BAIF on 11 th February Visit to field area On 10 th February, the NAC team visited the project sites in Jhadol block (about 60 km from Udaipur). The team first visited village Ricchawar in Jhadol cluster. The team members interacted with goatkeepers and field guides in the village. The community members shared their perceptions with the team, especially on goat husbandry and their problems in accessing veterinary services in the area. The villagers stressed on having a veterinary doctor in their area to which the Animal husbandry department personnel from Udaipur responded positively to look into the matter. Earlier, the goatkeepers involved in the imgoats project displayed the Sirohi breeding bucks that were given to them as part of the breed improvement activity and their first generation progeny. This gave an opportunity to the NAC members to interact with the buck keepers. 2

4 Plate 1: Interaction with goatkeepers in village Ricchawar The team then proceeded to village Manas in Bhagpura cluster. At Manas, the NAC members dispersed into small groups and met the individual goatkeepers at their homes for a one-to-one interaction in order to fully understand the way of life of the goatkeepers and the issues. The team returned to Jhadol where they met the Innovation Platform members at the BAIF field office premises. The meeting involved the goatkeeper representatives, field guides, traders and veterinary doctors from the district animal husbandry department from Udaipur, who had accompanied the NAC team. Plate 2: Interaction with Innovation Platform members at Jhadol 3

5 3.2. The Second National Advisory Committee meeting Ranjitha Puskur welcomed the participants to the meeting on behalf of ILRI and BAIF. She briefly reviewed the rationale and need for strategic advice for the project from the NAC as well as joint learning with a range of key stakeholders. She then handed over to Dr Nanda, Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Government of India to chair the meeting. This was followed by release of extension materials prepared by BAIF on best practices in goat husbandry by Dr. Nanda Presentation on project implementation in India progress, learning and challenges Dr. Avinash Deo presented the imgoats activities undertaken by BAIF in Rajasthan and Jharkhand, the challenges faced and learning.dr.deo elaborated on activities undertaken till date such as training programmes of field guides, breed improvement efforts (Sirohi breed in Rajasthan and Black Bengal in Jharkhand), health coverage (deworming and PPR vaccinations)and baseline survey. He also updated on the progress of innovation platform in Rajasthan as well as efforts towards establishing a similar platform in Jharkhand. Presentation of Dr.Avinash Deo.pdf He shared some ideas for fodder development that were tried out in Jharkhand such as Azolla and silage production About 16 silage making and 13 Azolla cultivation units were successfully demonstrated. He then shared some of the proposed activities planned for the next six months that include: IP meetings on need-based issues; Capacity building of field staff and goat keepers to facilitate programme sustainability and face the challenges; Mapping of endo-parasites in Project Area by regular faecal sample testing followed by de-worming; Vaccination for stamping out PPR in Project area; Plantation of fodder trees; Buck rearing; Trading of goats on live weight basis Presentation of baseline results for Udaipur field area Ramkumar presented the results of the baseline survey conducted in Udaipur field area. The results provided a snapshot of goatkeeper household profiles and goat husbandry practices in the project area. 4

6 The participating goatkeepers are characterized by small land landholdings and livestock holdings. Agriculture is at subsistence level and wage labour is the primary source of income. Goats complement the household incomes in case of emergencies, mainly to meet household expenses such as education, food and health. These characteristics have implications on motivation levels of the households to undertake exclusively commercial goat keeping. In the context of goat husbandry practices, there are no specific breeding practices are followed by the goatkeepers. There is lack of awareness about animal health care (vaccinations, deworming etc.). Majority of the goatkeepers indicated that during winter and rainy seasons goats were kept inside the house. This makes it very important to make the goatkeepers aware about the threat of zoonotic diseases. Collective decision making and action is non-existent among the goatkeepers. Marketing is mainly unorganized with no coordination among the goatkeepers. The Important constraints specified by the goatkeepers included animal diseases, poor access to market information and lack of good breeds. Baseline analysis.pdf Plenary discussions The presentations were followed by discussions during which the NAC members gave their views and shared experiences on how to possibly address some of the constraints identified and possible linkages that can be established. Following are the highlights of the discussions summarized around major themes: Breed related BAIF should start coordinating with Central Institute for Research on Goats (CIRG) - Sirohi unit (Dr. Nagda) at Udaipur for sourcing Sirohi breeding bucks. Animal husbandry department, Udaipur district also expressed their willingness to support in the initiative through their Ramsar goat rearing farm. At present, bucks are procured based on phenotypic characteristics. BAIF should follow specific criteria for selection of bucks, namely, body weight, twinning % and milk yields. There is shortage in supply of black bengal breeding bucks in Jharkhand field area. Support of Animal Husbandry department of Jharkhand would be taken to get more 5

7 number of breeding bucks Monitoring of data regarding progeny from breeding bucks (using parameters) The local breeds (desi) are also very useful. One can improve the productivity of the animals by following proper breed management practices. Feed and fodder related It is important to understand the mineral status of the soil and plants in the area, before making decisions about feeding mineral mix to the goats. Status of mineral deficiency in the area should be examined based on soil test information from Agriculture University at Udaipur. Regarding number of animals to be maintained, it was felt that it is better to leave it to the discretion of the specific goatkeepers to decide and avoid interference with the local social structure. A research proposal of a PhD student is under process to understand the functioning of goat -based livelihoods and identify set of critical system properties/scenarios that maintain the desirable social ecological system without moving into an un-desirable state. The following suggestions were provided as options to improve fodder production/ availability in the area: o Collaboration with NGOs like Sevamandir and FES who have worked on management of Common Property Resources (CPR) in Rajasthan. The existing communication networks of the NGOs can be utilized to share the experiences and link their respective activities, especially where there is an overlap of field areas. o Some of the learnings from BAIF s past experience in fodder development in Bhilwara (Kavlas village) can be used wherein the concept of participatory common land development was applied to regenerate common lands. o Use paddy straw as fodder in Jharkhand instead of burning. 50% subsidy is available for baling of paddy straw. There was also a proposal to examine the economic feasibility of transporting the straw to Udaipur. 6

8 Health related CIRG to share diagnostic kits for screening of Brucellosis and John s disease (ELISA kits). Animal husbandry departments at Udaipur and Dumka will support the initiative by undertaking the screening tests in the field. Indiscriminate use of single dewormers results in increased anthelmenthic drug resistance which in turn results in wastage of drugs. Feacal sample tests are important to diagnose specific worms and prescribe relevant drug For sustainability of the interventions, costs need to be estimated for vaccines, cold chains and charge it to the community Generate proper database to estimate mortality and morbidity rates, which could give a better indication of the health status of the animals in the field areas. Since the goatkeepers have the practice of keeping goats inside houses, the threat of zoonotic diseases is a possibility. Therefore screening tests for goats will also help in understanding the extent of threat to humans from zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis. The animal husbandry department (Udaipur), assured support at the village level by ensuring participation of its local personnel in the project activities (example in health camps, training programmes for goatkeepers and field guides) It is important to document ethno-veterinary practices followed in the respective areas to understand the treatments based on locally available resources Market related Productivity is an intermediate objective but linking with markets is critical. One needs to examine the value chain and address concerns of different value chain actors. It is important to motivate the goatkeepers towards collective marketing either by organizing goat fairs at local level or in accessing distant markets. Feasibility of cooperative model in goat marketing can also be examined. There is no proper market place at Udaipur. At present, animal sales occur by the roadside in an unorganized manner. In order to allocate space / area for a regular market the NAC members felt that it is necessary to interact with the concerned district authorities. Market for skin exists, especially in the context of black Bengal breed, as long as quality is assured. Potential exists to develop a local brand identity. Access to credit is also an important element to tide over emergencies and avoid distress sales. Insurance is critical especially during collective marketing. In this context, It would be useful if the participating households are encouraged to open back accounts or post office accounts. 7

9 Focus on more humane approach to marketing of goats would help in reducing stress in the animals during transportation to long distances resulting in improved quality of animals. One strategy would be to establish a slaughter house in the area instead of transporting them to distant markets. Capacity building Strategies to sustain field guide s role in the field beyond the project period. At present the training programme for the field guides is about 15 days. Linkages with the CIRG can be explored for any additional training that might be required. BAIF to work closely with Animal Husbandry Department in Jharkhand on the training activities for the field guides and supervisors Capacity building of not only producers but also traders and butchers to be taken up especially in the maintaining the quality of animals (avoiding stress during the entire period of transportation and trading, maintaining hygiene and sanitation) and awareness about zoonotic diseases such as Brucellosis Plan a short term training for the project staff and interested personnel from Animal husbandry departments on participatory disease surveillance Capacity building of field guides and goatkeepers on not just technical skills but also on marketing, organizing and facilitating skills. It would also be useful to organize a visit to the market and interact with consumers At present, it was observed that awareness about the various Government schemes is low, especially regarding schemes that support farmers for loan facilities, micro-credit, subsidies (for example, loan of up to INR 100,000 can be taken without collateral with simple certification of Sarpanch; up to Rs 7 lakh at 20% subsidy) Strategy for Monitoring & Evaluation It is important to develop a good communication strategy. A reporting system needs to be developed based on the information collected in the field, especially to examine changes in attitudes and skills of the community members, field guides and other value chain actors For this, a system has to be in place to streamline the information collected in the field and translate it into learnings. It is important to have some learning events which allows for reflection and course correction. Knowledge sharing can be facilitated through cross visits with other projects/initiatives. 8

10 Presentation about International Goat Association Jean Paul Debuef Jean Paul Debuef gave an introduction to the International Goat Association (IGA) and its goals. IGA is a global network of people and organizations linking research and production by sharing information, experience, and best practices.one of the main objective is to link research with rural / community development (putting science into practice). IGA - Presentation.pdf He elaborated on IFAD s small grant agreement for scaling up successful practices on Sustainable Pro-Poor Small Ruminant Development. As part of this, one of the objectives is to undertake a Global Knowledge Harvesting on resource-poor small ruminant farming systems that were effective in reducing poverty according to MDGs criteria so that others can apply this know-how. He also indicated about an upcoming conference at Canary Islands in September Plans for the next meeting It was proposed to have the next National Advisory Committee meeting at Jama/Dumka. The tentative dates are 7-9 th September Another proposal was to combine the Joint Steering Committee together with the NAC but this to be explored. Also venue for the Joint Steering Committee is yet to be decided between Ranchi and Delhi Closure The meeting ended with concluding remarks by Dr. Purvi Mehta, Regional Representative Asia, ILRI. She emphasized on capacity building for establishing market linkages, developing pool of expertise at local level (field guides/ women) and bringing together of various holistic approaches (models, success stories). Finally, on behalf of all the participants, Dr. Hegde thanked Dr. Ranjitha Puskur, the outgoing project leader, for her leadership and inputs to the project, from its conceptual stage to the operational stage. 9

11 Plate 3: Participants at the imgoats India Second National Advisory Committee meeting at Udaipur 10

12 Annexure 1: List of participants Nr Name Title and Affiliation address 1 Dr. A.S. Nanda Animal Husbandry Commissioner, asinghnanda@gmail.com Government of India 2 Dr. Devendra Swarup Director, Central Institute for dswarup@cirg.res.in Research on Goats, Mathura 3 Dr. (Capt.) A.G. Director, Animal Husbandry bandyo_ag@rediffmail.com Bandyopadhyay Department, Jharkhand 4 Ms Tinni Sawhney Team Leader, South Asia Pro Poor tinni.sawhney@sapplpp.org Livestock Policy Program, New Delhi 5 Mr. SudiptaBanerjee Tata International SudiptaBanerjee@tatainternational.com 6 Dr. Bhawani Singh Joint Director, Animal Husbandry Department, Udaipur 7 Dr. Bhatnagar Veterinary Officer, Regional shekharvet@yahoo.co.in Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Animal Husbandry Department, Udaipur 8 Jean-Paul Dubeuf President, International Goat jpdiga.goats@gmail.com Association 9 Dr. N.G Hegde Project Leader, imgoats, BAIF, nghegde@baif.org.in Pune 10 Dr. AvinashDeo Project co-ordinator, imgoats, avinashddeo@rediffmail.com BAIF, Pune 11 Shri. A.K. Sinha CPC, BAIF - Ranchi 12 Mr. Navneet Kumar BAIF, Ranchi navneetiirm@gmail.com 13 Shri. R.S. Sharma CPC, BAIF-RRIDMA, Udaipur rssharma.baif@gmail.com 14 Shri.B.G Rathore Se PC, BAIF-RRIDMA, Udaipur baifrathod@gmail.com 15 Dr. Nikhilesh Modi BAIF- RRIDMA, Udaipur dr.nikhileshudr@gmail.com 16 Dr. Purvi Mehta Regional Representative Asia, ILRI, p.mehta@cgiar.org New Delhi 17 Mr. Padmakumar ILRI, New Delhi v.padmakumar@cgiar.org 18 Dr. Ranjitha Puskur Team Leader, Innovation in r.puskur@cgiar.org Livestock systems, ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 19 Dr. Ramkumar Special Project Scientist, ILRI, Udaipur r.bendapudi@cgiar.org Apologies: 20 Dr Shaheel Rafique Implementation Support officer, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), New Delhi 21 Dr. PradeepSaraswat Joint Director, Animal Husbandry Department, Rajasthan s.rafique@ifad.org pradeepcam@rediffmail.com 11

13 Annexure 2 ImGoatsNational Advisory Committee (NAC) Meeting 11th February 2012 BAIF Office, Udaipur, India Agenda Chair person: Dr AS Nanda, Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Government of India 08:30-08:45 Opening of the meeting and introduction of the attendees Project progress in Rajasthan and Jharkhand, plans for the next semester Presentation followed by discussion Ranjitha Puskur DrAvinashDeo : Project implementation progress, learning and challenges Coffee Break Highlights of the results of the Udaipur Baseline study Brainstorming on potential interventions based on the baseline results Presentation by International Goat association and their initiative to document Goat sector development initiatives BAIF Ramkumar Bendapudi Facilitated discussion Jean-Paul Debeuf Plans for next meeting Dr AS Nanda 13:00 Wrap up Purvi Mehta 12